ตอน 45: Letter

"And, get this~! Harriet's business is doing so well, she even got herself a couple of high profile clientele that advertise her store on a regular basis! She even opened up a branch in the capital thanks to those clientele, and now she's raking in those giant~ piles of coin that she used to brag about, talking about how she could easily make that money if she just had her business up and running~! Guess she's got the last laugh now..."

Beau just grinned at me as she tapped that paper again, bringing my attention back down to it and causing me to realize that there was a second paper clipped beneath it, one that was less of a list and more of a letter addressed to me.

'Serani was not a name I ever expected to hear again after the disappearance of Miss Janna Serani, but to have heard it again... I cannot help but feel a certain amount of guilt for forgetting about you, dear little Hildegarde. You might have been just a baby when I had left the Ranch, and you might barely remember me, but the things that your Mom did for me cannot go unpaid.

I despise that your Mom has disappeared without a trace, both for you and for myself; I very much wanted to thank her for believing in me, for pushing me to follow my dreams. Without her, I would have never been able to do what I have done today. And yet, I cannot find her. I cannot find her anywhere, and knowing that she left you alone... That is why I will pay my debt to her through you. So please, when Beau delivers this letter to you, Hildegarde, give her one back and let me take care of you. Any clothes you desire, I can make.

Of course, this first batch shall be free of charge, but afterwards I do still need to operate a business, Hildegarde, but I am not going to be cold hearted; I'll discount your purchases through my stores, so please, whatever it may be that you need - custom made, elegant, hardy, labor focused - any sort of clothing at all, let me know and I shall provide it for you, at a cheaper price than anywhere else. Maybe one day you can come visit me at the Capital, and I can tell you a little more about your Mom in person, hm?

With kind regards, Harriet Blukine.'

"Yup~! Always been a rather serious and reliable woman, Harriet. Funny thing too, since she used to sneak on off each night too; we'd bump into one another many a time~! Anyways, draft up a letter of things you need clothing wise - and blankets too, anything to do with cloth really - and she'll get you done up nicely~! On top of what the Government needs to provide, of course, since I can see that the Demi Human's you have are wearing rather... ill fitting clothing.

Now, you can peruse the lists and get some idea of what you need, and when you do so, let me know and I'll make a new list that's all of the things you wanted and their prices, which will be taken out of your paycheck for next week. Remember, you can technically go over your allotted amount, but that puts you into debt, and unless you are really desperate, I would suggest always making even just a few coins each week. You need to save up some coin yourself and not really on this credit system the Government generously provided for us."

Beau rolled her eyes as she said that, and I held back a chuckle as I recalled how greedy she had been back in the day; she always wanted more money and wanted to ensure that a giant chunk of whatever she made was squirreled away somewhere just in case, and while it seemed rather odd to me - even now it seemed to be a foreign idea - I understood it quite well.

"Oh, speaking of... Regina, please give that to Hildegarde..."

Lady Von Goldiue smiled at me and waved her hands leisurely, the Government Official watching as her pink furred Catkin sauntered over to me before dropping a pouch on the table, Regina giving me a brief, narrowed look before returning to Lady Von Goldiue's side, her haughty attitude present even now.

Opening the pouch, I blinked a few times before gently reaching in and taking out a gold coin, which was only one of many; Lady Von Goldiue's smile widened as she said "The kitten you put into Regina was one of the best she had ever sired, Hildegarde. And since you couldn't meet the little one just yet, I thought I should at least provide my thanks to you in one of the best ways possible. So... there's 100 gold waiting for you to spend it."

"B-But..! Lady Von Gol-!"

"Ah, no need to be surprised~! Really, the kitten is worth its weight in gold and then some, both because of how valuable she is already, but also because she's just so utterly adorable~! You know how serious Regina can be, yes? Well, little Titania is absolutely a bundle of joy and happiness~! It's such a breath of fresh air sometimes~!"

Regina narrowed her heterochromatic eyes at me in a glare, her fur bristling slightly while her tail swished angrily side to side as she hissed "Master, really, why are you-!", before falling silent when Lady Von Goldiue rested her hand on her thigh.

"Be a good kitty, Regina... Hildegarde has provided us both such~ a joyous gift, and I hope to eventually have her in our good graces~! No need to bare those cute fangs of yours, hm~?"

The interesting relationship between the Human and Demi Human was placed on full display once more, and after a few moments of silence Beau coughed gently and grabbed our attention again, the tanned woman tapping the papers as she said "I hate to break this up, but uh... we are on a schedule of sorts. So... Hildegarde, go over everything, and take your time; we have enough of it for you to make some decisions. Until then... would you mind letting your Wolfkin take us on a tour? So that you have some peace and quiet?"